Finding Love
by KittyLuny
Summary: Draco finds himself back at Hogwarts for his eighth year. The battle was over and the Dark Lord had lost. A certain blonde offers him comfort and kindness. Will this simple friendship turn into something else? Rated T for future chapters.
1. New Term

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and this story is purely taken from my fluffy imagination. Enjoy. :)**

Draco walked slowly out to the train platform. Yes, he was back. After the Potter gang helped to overthrow the Dark Lord, he found himself thrown in Azkaban. Serving his sentence. Now, he was out. Given another chance.

He missed his mother. He missed her encouraging words and her smile. He missed her hugs. He didn't care for his father nor did he wish to see him again. Bitter memories swirled in his mind as he thought of Lucius. Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts.

He felt a certain emptiness as he looked at the other students on the platform with their families. _"You're jealous." _ A small voice whispered inside his head.

"I am not!" Draco said angrily to himself. At last, the Hogwarts Express arrived. He sighed and climbed aboard, wishing he didn't have to go back.

Luna POV

I walked along the corridor of the train, trying to find Harry and the others.

"Hello! Oh sorry, wrong compartment."

I closed the door and advanced to the next one. This time I was a little dumbfounded at what I saw.

"Hello Draco."

He looked up and stared at me. His eyes were empty and dark. Then that familiar sneer came back on his face.

"What do you want, Looney Lovegood?"

I went in and sat opposite him.

"Did I say you could come in here?"

I just studied his face. He looked tired and empty. This time, none of his usual back- ups were with him and he looked lonely. He looked like he lacked love. Wait, he definitely lacked love.

"You should eat more radishes."

"What?" He looked at me in confusion and disbelief.

"Oh, I believe they heal one's mind and soul. They bring good luck too."

He rolled his eyes at me. I just smiled at him.

"If you don't mind, I would like to be alone."

His voice was surprisingly soft. I glanced at him. The once high and mighty Slytherin Prince seemed lost in his own world. And he was actually talking nicely for once.

Then suddenly the door opened. "Luna?"

"Oh hi, Harry." I smiled at the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice.

He smiled back at me for a moment. When he realized who else was there, his smile faded. A cloud of anger seemed to come over his face.

"Luna! What are you doing with _him_?"

Draco rolled his head to Harry's direction.

"Oh great. _Another_ one. Would the stupid Potter gang get out of here now? I need my peace..."

Draco went back to staring out of the window.

Harry glared at Draco. I took one last look at Draco before allowing myself to be dragged away by Harry. I felt the urge to comfort him, to tell him everything was alright. His fair hair fell over his eyes. Those grey eyes were not focused on anything but they just stared. They were empty. Void of life.

"Luna are you listening to me?" Harry spun around, his robes flapping.

I looked at Harry. "He is not evil."

Harry sighed in frustration, dragging me to the compartment where Ron and Hermione were.

"Luna where were you?" Hermione's worried eyes met mine.

Ron looked at Harry. "What's the matter, Harry?"

Harry just shook his head and sat down next to Ron. I took the seat next to Hermione and thought about that fair-headed boy.

Draco POV

The first lesson of the day was with Professor Slughorn's lesson. Potions, potions, potions. Why couldn't he just have a potion that would make my life better? Class had not started yet and everyone was making a racket. I looked to my right and saw two girls whispering and turning in my direction.

I felt uncomfortable. I liked and wanted attention, but not this kind. Awkwardly, I moved up and moved to the empty table at the back, avoiding the glares that were shot my way.

"Hello Draco." A silvery voice greeted me.

I turned to my right. Looney was there. Smiling at me. I looked away. I didn't deserve hospitality.

"I know what you're feeling Draco. Don't be disheartened."

I shook my head. "You don't know anything, Looney."

I felt pathetic. Of all people that had to comfort me was this beautiful girl that I made fun of during fourth year. Yes, I admit she was something to look at.

"You lack love Draco."

I winced at the word. She seemed to notice.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"What's it to you?"

I decided to keep quiet after that remark. She made me feel unsettled. Why was she talking to me? What did she want?

Then Slughorn came in and ordered the class to be quiet. This was going to be a long day.

**Please R&R! :)**


	2. Experiments

Luna POV

Draco was sitting hunched up with his arms folded on the table. He looked uncomfortable. I sighed inwardly. I didn't want to make him feel that way. I snuck looks at him through the lesson. He had grown taller, his hair was longer and fell over his forehead. Muscles showed under his rolled up sleeves.

He caught me looking at him.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you staring at me?" he blurted. Frustrated, he asked "Why are you _being so nice to me_?" He put his head in his hands.

Silently, I put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to remember that you're not alone." I patted his shoulder comfortingly. He looked up at me. Our eyes met. His empty grey eyes radiated pain.

"I want to be your friend, Draco. So you won't have to go through this alone."

He tried to shake my hand away.

I heard him mutter something under his breath.

All too soon, the professor's lesson was over. "Okay class, remember to look up on the mandrakes, you'll need to know about them in next week's lesson.." Slughorn reported the day's homework. I pushed my notes to Draco.

"You haven't been paying much attention. I'll lend you my notes." I gave a small smile to him then left. At the doorway, I paused and turned around to see him staring after me.

"Luna!" Cho called out to me.

"Coming!" I ran after her.

Draco POV

I watched her go. She was being a nuisance. But… she was…comforting. That look in her eyes when she said she would be there for me. _You're not alone. _She reminded me of my mother. I suddenly ached for a hug. Any kind of comfort.

I stared at Luna's notes. Her handwriting, strange, dreamy lines. I caught myself smiling. I shook my head as I walked out of the classroom. As I walked down the hallway, I was joined by Theodore.

"'Ello there Draco. How's your morning so far?" He grinned at me.

"It was fine, thanks. " I lied.

"What's your next class?"

"It's my free period." I replied.

"Want to go to the library together?" he looked sideways at me.

"Yeah, sure." I managed a small smile at him.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you and your family."

I looked up. He looked concerned and his voice was sincere. I shook my head. I had enough of that. "If you don't mind, I don't want to talk about it now."

Theodore nodded. We arrived at the library and sat down at a table. Looking around, I spotted Luna with Granger. Theodore started taking out his notes and we discussed Professor McGonagall's homework together. Soon, I got distracted by her.

"Hey, Draco. Why do you keep staring at Looney, eh?" Theodore was smirking at me. "I am not." I growled.

"Oh, right, like, ever since we came into this library you've been staring at her like some dumbass." Theodore gave a loud guffaw, which caused people to turn and look at us.

"Shut it." I snapped.

I tried to get back to work. But she was on my mind. Luna. She was the first one to actually talk to me, other than Theodore. The rest avoided me like a plague. I watched as she stood up to pick a book from the shelves. Her long silky hair swished back and forth while she looked for the book. I watched as she went back to her seat and took notes on her paper, her hair falling over her eyes.

"Y'know, I don't really get why you're so fascinated with her and all, I mean, she's a good looker but I just don't get it." Theodore was watching me. "Hey, Granger is shooting daggers at you."

I looked back and saw snooty old smarty-pants glaring at me. I started making faces at her. Luna looked at Hermione and followed her stare to my direction. _Oh crap._

Theodore laughed quietly to himself. I glared at him, embarrassed, turning away from the two girls.

Luna POV

"He's been staring at you non-stop ever since he walked in." Hermione hissed.

I looked over to Draco. His face was slightly red and Theodore seemed to be laughing at something. Draco snapped something to Theodore but he only laughed harder. "Luna," Hermione started. "Stay away from him, he's no good!"

I looked Hermione straight in the eye. "I don't believe that." I had seen how he looked that day on the train. I felt complete sympathy for the boy.

Hermione sighed. "Does Harry know?"

I shrugged absentmindedly and went back to our work. Hermione threw a few more glares in Draco's direction and started on her notes again. I felt pleased at the thought that Draco was noticing me. At least he was thinking about what I way saying to him. I looked back and this time our eyes met. He looked away quickly, his face flushing. I smiled and turned back.

Draco POV

The day was over and I was lying on my back on my bed. Theodore was staying up late, going through some notes for a test. "Since when were you such a nerd?" I asked.

Theodore looked at me. "I want to do something. I don't want to lie around wasting my time away. I owe my mother. I want her to be proud of me. Ever since she died I've been motivating myself to work harder."

Silently, I looked away. I started thinking of all those times with _my_ mother. A pain started to build up in my chest. I looked at Theodore. He was still studying.

Then I found myself thinking of her again. She was always running about in my mind. Her hair, her dreamy blue eyes, her voice… her touch. Thinking about her touch made me feel something.

Her small hands were radiating with warmth. Whenever she touched me I felt something like electricity running down my spine. Why was I so self-conscious when I was near her? I groaned and turned over. What was happening to me? _I want to be your friend. _No, no, no. Draco Malfoy was never nice to anyone, nor is he anyone's friend. But… Luna felt like an exception.

Suddenly I was craving to be more than her friend. I hit the side of my head with my palm. "What the hell am I thinking?" I said aloud. Theodore gave me a curious look.

Then he smirked at me.

Sighing, he said "Girls. Complicated creatures, us men will never understand them." Winking at me, he continued "It's Luna, innit?" I grimaced, choosing not to reply. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Luna POV

The next day was sunny. Today was a Sunday so we were free to do anything we wanted. I was on my way to breakfast with Harry and the others when Draco suddenly appeared in front of me. "Hello, Luna" He smiled down at me. Finally, I started to see some light in his eyes.

I smiled back at him. "Hello Draco."

Harry jerked me away and hid me behind his back. "What do you want, Malfoy?" His eyes blazed.

Draco looked amused and ran his fingers through his hair. "I just want to talk to her Potter." Gently, I pushed Harry out of the way. Harry started to protest but I stopped him. "No, Harry. Be nice." His eyes narrowed.

Draco turned to me. "Would you… like to have breakfast with me?" I smiled. "Why not we have it on the lawn?" Lots of people were sitting under trees and eating their breakfast out in the sunshine. Draco looked at them a little uneasily then nodded at me.

I smiled and took his arm. He jumped at the touch, looking a little taken aback. I turned to Harry. He looked angry and shocked. Hermione was looking at me with disbelief and Ron's mouth was wide open. "I'll see you later guys." I waved goodbye.

Draco started chuckling to himself. "Their expressions were priceless." I glared at him a little. He managed to suppress his laughter but he still shook uncontrollably. Then he stopped and looked down at my hand. He seemed embarrassed. "Sorry." I said. He shook his head and managed a grin. We took our food and went to a more secluded place. Sitting under a tree, I breathed in the fresh air and smiled. Draco was looking at me again.

Draco POV

She stared back at me with those mesmerizing eyes. They were like whirlpools, sucking me in. Embarrassed, I forced myself to look away. "Pudding?" she held a spoon out to me. I grinned and accepted it.

"You're…really easy to be around with."

"Thank you." She looked pleased. A cool breeze came up and ruffled through Luna's hair. I felt the urge to touch her hair, to feel the softness. I could smell the scent of her hair. Ugh, I was beginning to sound like a creep.

"Can I touch your hair?" Her question startled me. Were we thinking about the same thing? "It just looks so soft."

"Uh…s-sure." What? Now I was stuttering? I sighed inwardly.

Slowly, she raised her hand. I braced myself. Her surprisingly gentle fingers ran through my hair. I got that tingly feeling again.

"It's really soft." She confirmed. Smiling a little to herself, she continued eating her food.

I decided to seize the opportunity. "Uh, Luna," she turned and looked at me. "I was wondering…if you could help me a little on potions. I'm…suck at drawing the flux weed."

I almost hit myself. That was the most pathetic excuse ever.

"Sure."

I didn't expect that answer. I expected her to turn me down, to tell me what a pathetic excuse that was just to get close to her. Instead, she accepted without so much a thought.

"Do you want to study together at the library after this, then?" Her big blue eyes trained on mine. I could feel my face flushing. Those eyes just made me lose concentration. They were so hypnotizing.

"O…o…okay" I managed to reply.

She smiled back at me and that dreamy look came over her face again.

"What are you thinking about?" I blurted out.

"My mother." She replied softly.

Slowly I looked away. I knew about her mother. From my father. My father hated her family, sometimes going on and on about how disgusting they were during dinner. I regretted not standing up for her then. But then I was the stupid proud-ass Malfoy, only concerned about popularity and what not.

"Shall we go now?" She jumped up, holding her hand out to me.

Staring at her hand, I accepted it. It felt soft and warm next to my cold skin. She didn't seem to mind at all. Still holding my hand, she led me to the library.

There weren't much people around, but those that saw gawked at us. I didn't mind much, actually. It was comforting just to know that she was there. With me. I liked the sound of that. _She's mine._


	3. Jealousy

Draco POV

She was a really good teacher. She explained everything clearly and patiently, only moving on to the next question when I had understood the previous one. Only when I was occupied then did she start daydreaming. I enjoyed watching her being in her own world. She seemed to block out the rest of the world while being in her dreamland. I wished I could do that. I envied that.

She made funny remarks once in a while. But she didn't find them funny. I did. She said them so matter-of-factly…like she was just passing an ordinary remark. I was suddenly jealous that Potter could be with her like this, laughing with her, just being with her. Did he like her? A ache in my chest started when I thought about that.

"Well, I think I'd better go now." She said it quietly. "I have some errands to run." She seemed disappointed though. Her eyes drooped a little, mouth slightly pouted. I felt warm at the thought that she didn't want to leave me. "It was fun teaching you, although you kept laughing things I said which I didn't even find funny."

I smiled at that. "Could I walk you back to the Ravenclaw tower?" I surprised myself with that remark. Eyeing me, she nodded and smiled.

A comfortable silence fell in between us. She skipped along the hallway. Smiling a little to myself, I strolled along beside her. There was almost nobody around. Then that idiot Potter appeared.

"Luna," he started. I didn't like the way he said her name. It was too sweet, too friendly. I watched as Luna skipped over to him, smiling. That did it.

Luna POV

I skipped over to Harry. He seemed pleased to see me. But his eyes hardened when he turned to Draco.

When I turned to look at Draco, he seemed a totally different person from before. His eyes were that steely cold grey. His body was stiff, and his mouth was turned down into a ugly sneer. This was the old Draco. Not _my_ Draco. When he looked at Harry, all I saw was hatred. And maybe even jealousy.

Harry was no better. He had adopted a defensive pose, his arm curled around me, shielding me from Draco's icy gaze. This time, I tried to push his arm away more roughly, but he held his ground. His green eyes were unusually cold.

"I can get her to the tower. Who knows what _you_ will do to her when there are so few people around." Harry spoke softly, but menacingly enough to make me shiver. I didn't recognize his voice.

Draco turned his gaze to me. His eyes softened a while before hardening again. His eyes pierced into mine. They were cruel. Flashing another glare at Harry, he strode off angrily, back the way we came, his robes flapping around his ankles.

Harry waited until he had gone. Only then did he relax. I glared at Harry. He seemed taken aback by my glare. "Luna, why are you glaring at me?"

"Why did you _do_ that?" I almost shouted at him. My voice sounded a little too high, even to me. I cringed. A pain was starting in my stomach. I doubled over, clutching my middle. Harry quickly squatted down in front of me.

"Luna! Luna! Are you alright? I'm-I'm sorry, okay? Answer me!" His green eyes were frantic. I whimpered a little. Why did it hurt so much?

I remembered that cold glare from Draco. It wasn't meant for me, wasn't it?

Draco POV

I felt bitter inside. Slamming the door to my room, I was glad that Theodore and Blaise weren't there. Sitting on my bed, I angrily thought about Potter. Why could he be the one protecting her? Why did I turn away like that, just leaving Luna there with him? Then I remembered Luna's expression.

She seemed to be torn between me and Potter. That made me angry again. The only one she should be choosing was me. I wanted her. I wanted her to be mine. She seemed to be frightened of me then. When I stared at her, I felt myself melt. But then I was reminded of _him_ there with us, and I felt the jealousy swell in my chest.

"Potter." I spat out the name.

"What's the matter with Potter?" Blaise came into the room. He slowly circled the room, resting against the wall near the window.

"Pah. Wouldn't you like to know." I sneered.

"Look, Draco…I was only asking you what was on your mind. You needn't be so uptight about it. Okay. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you since school started, but…" he trailed off.

"Save your breath." I snapped. I knew exactly what was going on in his mind. And I didn't trust him one bit. I suddenly wanted to talk to Theodore. Tell him everything, get his advice. Blaise stared at me, and stalked out of the room. I lay back on my bed, not bothering to undress. I had a massive headache.

When I woke up, Theodore was back, sorting out some things at his desk. Blaise wasn't there. _Good._ I felt sick of his stupid face, and his stupid brown hair. He was never a friend. We only stuck to each other for the comfort before. There wasn't even much of that. He stuck to me for my popularity too.

"Had a good nap, Draco?" Theodore turned around to look at me. "Merlin, you look awful."

I shook my head groggily. Then I remembered why I was so mad in the first place. The thought of Luna and Potter together made me see red again.

"Mind telling me what's wrong, mate?" Theodore's voice was surprisingly soft.

"It's…Potter…and…" I started. Then I put my head in my hands. I realized how stupid it was. Theodore smirked. "The two of you are always fighting about something. From your expression, I'm guessing it's a certain girl this time." I stared at him. How did he always know everything?

"Look, mate. If you really like her to that extent, why don't you just tell her?"

"I…can't." now I felt like a coward.

"Why not?" he put his quill down, and turned his chair to face me.

"I…I'm afraid that I'll hurt her. I don't know how to love, goddammit!" I turned away, frustrated.

"You could try." Theodore was gentle. "You could show her that you care instead of acting like a jerk. You don't want to go back to your old ways, don't you?"

He was right. I had to do something about it. But there was just one problem.

"I don't know if…she likes me."

Theodore was quiet. I looked up. He seemed to be plotting something. Then he noticed me and smirked. Turning away, he said, "Don't you worry about a thing, mate. I promise everything will run smoothly from tomorrow."

I just stared suspiciously at him. He didn't turn around again. I felt exhausted. Trying not to think of hexing Potter, I fell back on my bed and went to sleep.


	4. Beginnings

Luna POV

I woke up feeling horrible. My head throbbed and my chest hurt. I sat up slowly. I was back in my dorm. Cho and Padma were there. Seeing that I was awake, they rushed to see if I was okay.

"Good heavens, Luna! What happened?-"

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?-"

"Harry brought you in and you kept on going off about a blonde boy-"

"And how Harry had let you down-"

Then they looked at me. At the mention of Harry's name, I felt the hurt again. I had to find Draco.

"Who's the blonde boy, Luna?" Cho was curious.

"I have to go." I said, feebly pushing Padma away.

"_No_, Luna, you have to stay and rest until your first class starts. We brought you breakfast." She placed a tray of food on the bedside table. I didn't have an appetite. I shook my head. But then Cho firmly pushed some toast to me. Sighing, I ate slowly. The toast tasted like cardboard. My roommates bustled around the room, getting ready for the day.

Then I remembered I would be seeing Draco later in Care of Magical Creatures. Maybe I could speak to him then.

Draco POV

I couldn't eat anything. I kept looking around for Luna but she wasn't at the Ravenclaw table. I sighed. Was I too much yesterday? Maybe she was with Potter. I swung around angrily in my seat, towards the Gryffindor table. No, she wasn't there. I caught the eye of Weasley. He looked at me, giving a cold hard stare. He seemed to know something. I sneered at him, turning away.

Potter turned around then and he glared. I felt the anger building up. He stood up and walked over, getting glares from the other Slytherins when he stopped in front of me.

"Look, _Malfoy_." I didn't like the way he said my name. He didn't deserve to say it. "Stop hurting Luna." His green eyes were blazing.

Rolling my eyes slightly, i replied. "What's it to you?"

He just stood and glared. "You don't even _care_ about her."

I stood up, banging the table with my fist. "_You don't know that_."

The people nearby turned to stare at us, whispering. Ignoring them, I gave Potter a sneer. "Do you think that you've been _protecting_ her? I'm reminding you that can get _anything_ I want."

He looked like he wanted to hit me then. But that stupid little snot was too chicken.

"I'm warning you Malfoy. If anything happens to Luna, _anything_ at all, I'm not going to let you off." With that, he stalked off, followed by his idiotic minions.

"Don't be so uptight. Everything's going to be fine." Theodore reassured me, wolfing down some toast.

I grimaced. Finishing our food, we left the Great Hall and went to our first class. We were at the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid trudged along to a clearing, leading the class to a denser area. I saw Luna and tried to get to her but people were blocking my way. Then Hagrid stopped, his arm full of scrolls.

"Good morning class. Today we will be going into the Forbidden Forest. You have chosen the creature that you wanted to study last week, so this week, you are going to provide me a detailed drawing and description of it…"

Then he handed out the scrolls, carefully giving instructions.

"You will choose a partner, and go off together. In the circumstance of a crisis, shout as loud as you can. Stay close to this area and don't wander too deep into forest. Now, go."

I saw Luna pair up with Padma, and they walked off together. Luna's shoulders slouched, she looked tired. I felt a pang of guilt. Theodore quickly pulled me to their direction.

"We're going to take this nice and easy, Draco." He said softly, trying not to alert the two girls in front of us. He had a mischievous glint in his eye. Warily, I followed him. We came to another clearing, by the lake. They were there, a little way off.

"Whatever I do, Draco, act along." He whispered. He put his quill behind his ear.

Walking up to them, he opened up his scroll with a flourish and took out his quill. "Well, Draco, we haven't seen any of those blasted hippogriffs around… Oh! What have we here?" He smirked at Padma. I put my palm to my forehead. This was actually corny, but good. "Have you girls seen a hippogriff around here?" He smiled at Padma. Luna hadn't heard him, and her back was facing us.

Padma seemed suspicious at first, but then she smiled at Theodore. "I think I saw one back there." She pointed to her right, to the trees.

"Hm, where exactly? Could you show me?" Theodore was all charm, and gestured for Padma to lead the way. She happily obliged. Theodore turned around, signaling to me to make my move. Then he winked, and turned back to follow Padma into the trees.

I sighed and looked at Luna. She was stroking a unicorn, and talking to it softly. "Luna?"

She whirled around too fast, startling the unicorn. Her eyes widened when she saw me. What came next was unexpected. She ran to me, embracing me. She didn't even seem to care about the unicorn anymore, not noticing that it had galloped away.

"Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry about yesterday, Harry was being a jerk and you-" tears were streaming down her face. Startled at her tears, I hurriedly said, "Luna, it's okay! I didn't mean to act like that yesterday; I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I…was just jealous of Potter…I think." Watching her reaction carefully, I braced myself for the rejection. I felt my own eyes widen as she smiled through her tears, hugging me again. I raised my arms to hug her back.

"So…you alright?" I asked her. She nodded.

"You're going to make my robes wet if you continue this." I said lamely. She dried her tears, and looked at the ground; her cheeks flushed a becoming pink.

Then she looked around in confusion for the unicorn. Sighing, I took her hand and led her towards the direction that it had gone. She was shy at first, not daring to move her hand too much. I just grasped her hand tighter, not wanting to let go.

We came across Theodore then, he was arguing with Padma. They had found a hippogriff but were unsure on how to approach it. Listening in, Padma was correct, but Theodore was stubborn. He turned around, and saw Luna and me; hands entwined, and gave a smirk. Padma gasped and dropped her scroll.

**Sorry, well, I think I kind of rushed this one, I'm busy preparing for my exams, so I might not be updating often. Thank you for your feedback guys, I appreciate it a lot. Keep 'em coming! :) **


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